“The sound of corn growing in a field of wind turbines” (USA Midwest)

I’ve been going out to Gilford township when possible, to a wooded area owned by a friend. He has acreage, and is surrounded by the turbines on three sides. There are about seven to eight turbines within a half mile radius of his property—east ,west and north.

So, Sunday I did a little walkabout. All the turbines were running and as, we know, you can absolutely hear them from all sides.

Just happens to be corn this year growing in this area. (Farmers, here, rotate corn, beans, sugar beets and wheat. This is a bonus compared to other agriculture practices since the soil here is some of the best in the world.)

“That there is some pretty soil! Imagine the color when it’s wet!” (Ella)

I walked into the corn field towards one of the turbines. I am wondering, Has anybody ever been inside a corn field when turbines are running?

Ella Rupprecht

I can tell you, the sound is eerie. (Click here and here for the videos. I should have made them longer, but I wasn’t thinking at the time.)

I don’t know if anyone is interested in what I discovered, or if this is already known. When traveling through the field, I can certainly understand why the animals would flee. The sound tunnels beneath the fields, like you’re inside an actual tunnel with noise flowing through.

The only sound is the turbines. No road traffic, nothing but turbine “whoosh” through acres and acres of land.

I felt like I was transported from the Star Ship Enterprise to the Borg Ship.

This is an important and little understood component of the sorry acoustic failures of the wind industry. Industrial noise in quiet areas eclipses other sounds, turning the former quiet lands into polluted lands. Wind turbine noise pollution degrades and destroys acoustic habitat for people and wildlife.

These facts would be true for any uncontrolled power generation noise source. However, most power plants are equipped with noise controls. Wind turbine aerodynamic noise is uncontrolled. Because of the enormous amounts of land required by wind turbines, and their placement primarily in quiet rural and wilderness areas, and their operations night and day, their pervasive environmental noise pollution can be ranked as second to none.

Our environmental soundscapes deserve protection and preservation for the good of all.